Arts and Culture Strategy 2024 to 2029 consultation

Consultation closes: 21 July 2024
Consultation opened: 29 April 2024

Central Bedfordshire boasts beautiful natural landscapes, parks and collections, and locally, regionally, and nationally significant venues that host a variety of arts and cultural activities. The region's cultural sector is robust and ambitious, with arts, culture and heritage organisations, creative practitioners, and community groups actively contributing to a high-quality programme of activities and events.

The arts and cultural offer in Central Bedfordshire includes:

• countryside/outdoor space and rights of way – encouraging access to the countryside and enhancing outdoor spaces and public pathways with arts and cultural activities, using natural landscapes for cultural activities
• theatre and performance spaces – providing venues for theatre and performance arts
• history and heritage – conserving heritage sites and ancient monuments and contributing to the joint archives service
• cultural education – promoting initiatives and experiences in arts and culture within early years, SEND and other educational settings, creating opportunities for lifelong learning, skills development, and nurturing talent
• economic development – heritage preservation, encouraging inward investment and supporting creative businesses
• leisure and libraries – access to literature and offering cultural experiences within leisure spaces and libraries
• music – fostering a vibrant music scene, delivering music in schools, and nurturing musical talent within the local community

A strong and vibrant arts and cultural offer provides opportunities for communities to come together, driving footfall and supporting town centres, increasing wellbeing, and fostering civic pride and a sense of place. It can be a key factor in encouraging people to stay within an area, which in turn can create a stable and prosperous economy and vibrant and inclusive communities. 

The culture sector in Central Bedfordshire is supported by a range of national partners, including:

• Arts Council England (ACE)
• Royal Opera House East
• The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
• Full House Theatre (National Portfolio Organisation)

Our role

We're well placed to lead local action to build on the contribution of the arts, culture, and heritage in creating prosperous, healthier, stronger, and happier communities. Our role includes facilitating partnerships, fostering dialogue, and removing barriers to cultural participation.

Key to the future delivery and oversight of this strategy is the Culture Hub. The hub is a consortium of 18 cultural organisations in Central Bedfordshire. Members include Bedford Creative Arts, Full House Theatre, and the University of Bedfordshire. It originated from the Make Way for Culture initiative, funded by the Royal Opera House East, which aimed to map the cultural sector and strengthen key strategic partnerships.

We play an important role in bringing partners together, helping shape and implement a shared approach to supporting local arts and culture. We can contribute significantly to creating a thriving cultural sector through:

Policies and strategies

We lead on the development of this strategy and play a key role, along with the Culture Hub, in monitoring and implementing the action plan that supports it. The strategy will support the delivery of a range of our other plans including our Corporate Plan, Health and Wellbeing Plan, planning policies, Economic Strategy and Sustainability Plan.

Assets and infrastructure

We continue to support our management of assets and infrastructure, including buildings, public realm, and digital infrastructure, where cultural services and activities operate.

Local capacity building

We're involved in business support, skill development, attracting businesses, engaging diverse communities, and providing support to voluntary, non-profit and other third sector organisations.

Investment and funding

Our budget can support cultural activity, co-bidding for grants and attracting inward investment.